Delicious and refreshing carrot, apple and beet salad

Tired of predictable and flavourless salads? Check out this incredible recipe for a delicious carrot, apple and beet salad that's unlike anything you've ever tasted before!

Preparation: 15 minutes
Marinating: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

• 2 carrots
• 1 small cooked beet
• 45 ml (3 tbsp.) olive oil
• 7 g (1/2 tbsp.) white wine vinegar
• 7 g (1/2 tbsp.) balsamic vinegar
• 2 g (1/2 tsp.) Dijon mustard
• Pinch of sugar
• 45 g (3 tbsp.) raisins
• 30 g (2 tbsp.) cashew nuts
• 60 g (4 tbsp.) bottled French salad dressing
• 2 red apples

1. Grate two carrots and one small cooked beet into a large serving bowl.
2. Make a dressing by mixing together olive oil, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, a pinch of sugar and a little salt and pepper.
3. Add raisins, cashew nuts and bottled French dressing to the serving bowl.
4. Finely chop two red apples, leaving on the skins. Toss the apples with the salad, making sure that they are coated with the dressing to prevent them from becoming discoloured.
5. Marinate the salad for 30 minutes before serving.

All that remains to do after marinating? Enjoy!

Nutrients per serving: 131 calories; 11 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein and 2 g fibre.

To cook a raw beet:

• Place it in a fine-meshed sieve over a pan of boiling water and steam for 15 minutes, or until beets are cooked but still firm.
• Drain and run it under cold water, then peel off the skin. Let cool before grating.
• Don't overcook the beet because it will not grate easily if it's too soft. What's more, the crunchy texture of the salad will be lost.

Readily available, apples offer many nutritional benefits and may even help to sharpen mental alertness. They also contain plenty of soluble fibre that can contribute to lower blood cholesterol levels. But that's not all there is to love about apples.

• With an average of only 65 calories, an apple is the perfect healthy snack.
• Apples have been called nature's toothbrush. While they don't actually cleanse the teeth, biting and chewing an apple stimulates the gums. In addition, the sweetness of the apple prompts an increased flow of saliva which reduces the risk of tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria in the mouth.

Keep this recipe in mind and you can create a unique (and healthy!) dish that the whole family will enjoy.